A semiconductor memory device having a three-dimensional structure has been proposed in which memory holes are made in a stacked body in which electrode films are multiply stacked with insulating films interposed, and a silicon body used to form a channel is provided with a charge storage film interposed inside each memory hole. The columnar body that includes the charge storage film and the silicon body pierces each of the insulating films and each of the electrode films; and a memory cell that includes the charge storage film is formed at each intersection between the silicon bodies and the electrode films. The electrode film functions as a control gate of the memory cell.
In such a semiconductor memory device, the insulating film that is positioned between the electrode films opposes a portion of the silicon body connecting the memory cells in series. There is a risk that the channel resistance of the silicon body opposing the insulating film may become higher than the channel resistance of the silicon body opposing the electrode film. Thereby, there is a risk that the current may no longer flow easily in the silicon body; and problems may occur in the memory operations.